
COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



Abraham Lincoln 

His Lije 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

HIS LIFE 

By 

M. A. Goldsmith 

A True Story 

of One of the World's 

Best Men 



The Goldsmith Publishing Co. 
Cleveland, Ohio 



COPYRIGHT 1918 

THE GOLDSMITH PUBLISHING CO. 

CLEVELAND, OHIO 



FEB 23 1918 

©CU49235? 



i^ 




ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

From portrait by L. Buttner in possession of 

The Goldsmith Publishing Co. 



From sturdy stock, yet lowly station, 
Arose the man, whom all the nation 
Revered and honored. 



12 



THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



His Parents 

Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President 
of the United States, first saw the light of 
day in a log cabin in the woods of Kentucky. 
Little did his parents realize that the tiny child 
who came to them on the twelfth day of Feb- 
ruary, 1809, would become the idol of the 
American people — a man than whom there was 
none nobler. 

His father, Thomas Lincoln, was an easy- 
going backwoodsman, sturdy in build, a car- 
penter by trade. 

His mother was refined and well educated. 
Her maiden name was Nancy Hanks, and at 
the time of her marriage (she was then twenty- 
three years old) was known for her rare beauty 
and religious devotion. 



13 



1809 

On Nolin' Creek was born to fame 
A sturdy child, his deeds, his name, 
Are known in every land. 



14 



THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
His Birthplace 

On the south bank of Nolin Creek, three 
miles from what is now Hodgenville, Ken- 
tuck)", was a little log cabin. About it stretched 
barren grass and straggly bushes. The land 
was slightly rolling with scarcely any foliage 
to break the monotony. 

All about was desolate. Just why anyone 
would select this as a home site is hard to 
understand. The soil was so "poor" that only 
with the hardest labor could it be made suf- 
ficiently productive to repay the labor of sow- 
ing. 

Here came Thomas and Nancy Lincoln and 
here on February 12, 1809, was born a son, 
Abraham Lincoln. 



15 



1813 

The woods, the trees, the creek-land, 
With flowers and birds — his dreamland- 
There early youth was spent. 



16 



THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

His Early Youth 

When Abraham was four years old, the Lin- 
colns moved to a place on Knob Creek, six 
miles from Hodgenville. 

Their plot of land was larger and more fertile 
than that on Nolin Creek. Of the two hun- 
dred and thirty-eight acres that comprised the 
new site, Thomas Lincoln cultivated six acres. 

The family's wants were few — their meals 
were frugal arid until Abe w r as seven years old, 
he led a happy 7 go-lucky existence. Helping 
in the fields, strolling through the woods, learn- 
ing the beauties of nature at nature's threshold. 

His early education was such as was gleaned 
from irregular sessions at the ''country school 
house/' 



» 



1818 

Left motherless at age of nine; 

A roving life, hard work were thine, 

Yet strong in morals. 



18 



THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
His Youth 

In the spring of 1816, the family moved to 
Pigeon Creek, Spencer County, Indiana, where 
the father built a log cabin. 

Two years later Abraham's mother died. A 
year later his father married again. Abe's new 
mother soon grew T very fond of him and at 
her insistence his father allowed him to at- 
tend school during the w r inter of 1819. The 
next winter, too, he spent a few weeks at 
school. 

Most of his early education was obtained at 
home at night. Here, stretched upon the floor 
with a book before him, Abraham lay before 
the fireplace night after night. His favorite 
books were the Bible, Aesop's Fables and 
Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. 

During the day he helped his father about 
the farm, tilling the soil, splitting rails, trap- 
ping and hunting. 



19 



1819 to 1825 

And now come years of earnest toil 
To guide the boats — to till the soil — 
To work at many trades. 



20 



THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LIXCOLX 
His Early Manhood 

The boy grew rapidly. At the age of seven- 
teen he stood six feet and four inches in height. 
He devoted much of his time to reading, mak- 
ing speeches and in a limited way to writing 
on the political questions of the day. 

At the age of nineteen, Lincoln, then em- 
ployed by James Gentry, made his first voyage 
down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. The 
trip was made in a flat boat filled with produce. 
This was sold at New Orleans. 

In 1825 Abraham entered the employ of 
James Taylor at Anderson's Creek. He was 
farm hand, ferryman and Jack of all trades. 

Lincoln had rapidly grown to be a young 
man of powerful physique. 



21 



1831 

A country merchant in a country store 
And thus inscribed above the door: — 
"Lincoln & Berry." 



THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

Business Ventures 

In March, 1830, the family moved to Mason 
County, Illinois, five miles southwest of 
Decatur. 

Lincoln was now twenty-one years old and 
upon him fell the task of building the new 
home. 

He left the Lincoln family to "strike out for 
himself." In 1831, together with two com- 
panions, he built a boat, loaded it w T ith pork, 
hogs and corn. This was floated down the 
Mississippi to New Orleans where it was sold. 
A short time later Lincoln and a fellow named 
Berry, under the firm name of Lincoln and 
Berry, bought out a general store at New 
Salem. The business was unprofitable and 
when it was discontinued Lincoln was left 
with a burden of debts. 



23 



1837 

Now mark his entrance to the bar, 
A : rising lawyer with a guiding star 
Of noble deeds to do. 



U 



THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LIXCOLX 

Soldier, Postmaster, Legislator 

In 1831. the Black Hawk War broke out. 
The following year Lincoln enlisted in a com- 
pany recruited at Sangamon, Illinois, and w r as 
elected Captain. He obtained excellent mili- 
tary training although his company did not 
see much of the war. 

At the close of the war, Lincoln was ap- 
pointed postmaster at New Salem. His next 
vocation was that of surveyor. 

In 1833 Lincoln made his first political 
speech and in 1834 was elected to the Legisla- 
ture. Here he met Stephen A. Douglas of 
whom we shall hear later. 

Re-elected to office, he served continuously 
for eight years. In 1837 he made his famous 
"Lightning Rod" speech. The same year Lin- 
coln left New Salem and was entered at the 
bar, "a full fledged lawyer," at Springfield, 
Illinois. 



1837 to 1846 

His fund of stories served him well 
And woe to him on whom befell 
The shafts of Lincoln's satire. 



26 



THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

Lawyer 

In 1837, Lincoln entered into a partnership 
with John T. Stuart of Springfield, and in 1841 
the partnership was dissolved, when Lincoln 
became associated with Stephen T. Logan. 

In 1845 a new firm was formed, Lincoln and 
Herndon, which continued until Lincoln's 
death. During his many years of active legal 
service Abraham Lincoln was known for hon- 
esty of purpose, his high ideals of integrity 
and for his conscientious principles. 

In his discourses his logic was clear and his 
argument forcible. His homely wit and great 
fund of stories won many a' case for him. 



27 



1846 to 1858 

Emancipation was his thought 
But no results his efforts brought, 
The time was not yet ripe. 



28 



THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
Congressman 

In 1846 Lincoln was elected to Congress by 
the Whigs — the only candidate elected by that 
party in Illinois. He was appointed member 
of the Committee of Post Offices and Post 
Roads. 

On January 12, 1848, he made a powerful ap- 
peal against the declaration of war with 
Mexico. He introduced a bill into the house to 
abolish slavery in the District of Columbia. 
This met such violent opposition that it was 
never brought to vote. On March 4, 1849, his 
term as Congressman expired. 

Nine years later, on June 16, 1858, Lincoln 
was nominated as the Republican candidate 
for Senator of Illinois. Opposing him as can- 
didate for the Democratic party was Stephen 
A. Douglas. 



29 




o 
o 



w 
2 

o 

« 
o 

<! 

►J 

« 



THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LIXCOLX 
His Family 

On November 4, 1842, Abraham Lincoln was 
married to Miss Mary Todd. She was a 
charming young woman of twenty-five — a Ken- 
tuckian by birth, animated, well read, an ex- 
ceptionally clever conversationalist. 

The match was an excellent one. Lincoln 
made a loyal and indulgent husband. Mrs. 
Lincoln was an excellent housewife — a true 
helpmate to a great man. 

They had four sons. Only one, Robert Todd 
Lincoln, grew to manhood. He was Secretary 
of War during the Garfield and Arthur ad- 
ministrations, and from 1889 to 1893 was Min- 
ister to England. 



31 



1860 

A man of superhuman trait 

To guide the tottering Ship of State 

The nation well chose Lincoln. 



32 



THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

President 

Lincoln challenged Douglas to a joint de- 
bate and seven meetings were decided upon. 
Although the campaign was a losing one for 
Lincoln, the favorable sentiment created by 
his anti-slavery argument helped elect him to 
Presidency. 

On May 16, 1860, he was nominated as the 
Republican candidate for Presidency. 

The Democratic party split into three divi- 
sions, nominating as many candidates, Douglas, 
Breckinridge and Bell. 

On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was 
elected President of the United States. The 
vote stood as follows : 

Lincoln 1,857,610. Douglas 1,291,254. 

Breckinridge 850,022. Bell 646,124. 



33 



1861 

He showed his depth of wisdom, when 
He gathered 'round him those great men 
Who formed his cabinet. 



34 



THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LIXCOLX 

His Cabinet 

At the inaugural exercises, March 4, 1861, 
one of the first to offer his congratulations and 
to pledge his support to Lincoln was his erst- 
while opponent, Douglas. 

Lincoln's cabinet consisted of Wm. H. 
Seward, Secretary of State ; Salmon P. Chase, 
Secretary of the Treasury ; Simon Cameron, 
Secretary of War; Gideon Welles, Secretary 
of the Navy; Caleb B. Smith, Secretary of the 
Interior; Edward Bates, Attorney-General; 
Montgomery Blair, Postmaster-General. 

In January, 1862, Cameron withdrew and in 
his place Edwin M. Stanton, a Democrat, was 
appointed. Although of different political con- 
victions, he served his chief loyally until the 
end. 



35 



1861 

The Southern States were up in arms, 
The country seethed in war alarms 
When Lincoln entered office. 



36 



THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LIXCOLX 

Secession 

When Lincoln came into office he found 
a disordered government. Six Southern states 
had seceded and elected Jefferson Davis Presi- 
dent. They had taken possession of the United 
States Treasury at New Orleans, robbing the 
government of five hundred thousand dollars. 
Major Anderson had been bottled up at Fort 
Sumter and a vessel sent to his aid had been 
fired on by the rebels. 

Sedition was rife everywhere. The South- 
ern States had armed troops with guns taken 
from the government during Buchanan's ad- 
ministration. 

On April 14, 1861, Fort Sumter was cap- 
tured by the Confederates and on the next day 
President Lincoln called for the enlistment of 
seventy-five thousand volunteers to defend 
Washington. 



37 



1861 

War ! Its horrors and its strife 
Bade fair to sap the very life 
Of our great nation. 



38 



THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
War 

War ! The nation was to know the hor-rors 
of armed conflict. 

The tramp of armed thousands was heard 
over the land. Rioting and treachery were rife. 
The Sixth Massachusetts regiment was 
mobbed while passing through Baltimore and 
a large number killed. Troops rushed to 
Washington. 

Thirty thousand men were gathered under 
the command of General McDowell and on July 
21st the battle of Bull Run was fought. It 
was a terrible defeat for the Union forces. 
During the eventful years that followed — 
years when the very life of the nation was 
threatened, when defeat was followed by de- 
feat and the North was in a state of varying 
mutiny and in fear of invasion, through all 
these stern times Lincoln was calm and self- 
possessed. 



39 



1862 

"All persons held as slaves are free," 
Thus read that wonderful decree 
That gave emancipation. 



40 



THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

Emancipation Proclamation 

The cares that fell upon his shoulders would 
have overcome any but the strongest of wills. 
Newspaper censure, dissension in the army, 
the building of the Merrimac and its victories 
over the Union vessels, all combined to create 
a spirit of panic. 

Then the Monitor was built and its glorious 
fight became one of the bright spots in the his- 
tory of that awful war. 

On July 22, 1862, Lincoln presented his 
Emancipation Proclamation to the senate, and 
on January 1, 1863, it was returned to him for 
signature. This document, one of the most 
wonderful of its kind, was to free all slaves. 
It was one of the greatest factors in the ad- 
vance of modern civilization. 



41 



1864 

Peace spread her wings and all discord 
Was silenced. O'er the nation poured 
An eon of tranquillity. 



42 



THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



Peace 

The Republican National Convention unani- 
mously nominated Lincoln for his second term 
on June 7, 1864. McClellan was nominated by 
the Democrats. 

Lincoln was elected by an overwhelming 
majority. 

The war w^as rapidly approaching termina- 
tion. The Southern ports were closely block- 
aded and on the ninth of April General Lee 
surrendered at Appomattox Court House. 

Peace at last spread her wings over the land. 

Now came the problem of reconstruction. 
No man was more capable of handling this dif- 
ficult problem than was Lincoln, and had he 
lived, the chaotic condition that existed in the 
South might have been quickly remedied. * 



43 




FORD'S THEATRE, WASHINGTON, D. C, 
IN WHICH LINCOLN WAS SHOT 



THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

Death 

On the evening of April 14, the President, ac- 
companied by his family, attended a perform- 
ance at Ford's Theatre. Seated in an upper 
box, enjoying the humor of the play, he little 
knew of the danger that was lurking nearby. 

John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor, had 
quietly crept into the box, pistol in one hand 
and a dagger in the other. Suddenly a report 
rang out. And one of the noblest men that 
ever lived was lain low. 

Abraham Lincoln was carried to a house 
across the street, surgeons were summoned, 
but to no avail. At dawn, April 15, his soul 
passed to the great beyond. 



45 



His words, his deeds, the good he wrought, 
Will live forever in the thought 
Of all eternity. 



46 



THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
In Memoriam 

Sorrow swept through the land. North and 
South alike mourned the loss that was theirs. 

The funeral service was held in the East Room 
of the White House. 

Lincoln was buried in Springfield, 111. 



We of this later day who read of the lofty aims, 
the noble thoughts, the unselfish purposes of 
Abraham Lincoln can let his life inscribe in our 
thoughts those words of Longfellow : 

"Lives of great men, all remind us 
We can make our lives sublime, 
And, departing, leave behind us 

Footprints on the sands of time. ,, 



47 



Noble Thoughts and Ex- 
tracts from the Speeches 
and Letters of Abraham 
Lincoln 



"Half finished work generally proves to be 
labor lost." 



50 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From an Appeal for the Improvement of 
the Sangamon River 

Delivered in State Legislature March 1, 1832. 

"Time and experience have verified to a 
demonstration the public utility of internal im- 
provements. That the poorest and most thin- 
ly populated countries would be greatly bene- 
fited by the opening of good roads, and in the 
clearing of navigable streams within their 
limits, is w T hat no person will deny. Yet it is 
folly to undertake works of this or any other 
kind without first knowing that we are able 
to finish them — as half-finished work generally 
proves to be labor lost. There cannot justly be 
any objection to having railroads and canals, 
any more than to other good things, provided 
they cost nothing. The only objection is to 
paying for them; and the objection arises from 
the want of ability to pay." 



51 



"I go for admitting all . . . to the right 
of suffrage." 



52 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

Favoring Equal Suffrage 

From a Letter Written to the Editor of the 
"New Salem Journal/' June 13, 1836. 

"I go for all sharing the privileges of the 
government who assist in bearing its burdens. 
Consequently, I go for admitting all whites to 
the right of suffrage who pay taxes or bear 
arms (by no means excluding females). 

If elected, I shall consider the whole people 
of Sangamon my constituents, as well those 
that oppose as those that support me. 

While acting as their representative, I shall 
be governed by their will on all subjects upon 
which I have the means of knowing what their 
will is ; and upon all others I shall do what 
my own judgment teaches me will best advance 
their interests/' 



53 



''The victory shall be complete when there 
shall be neither a slave nor a drunkard." 



54 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From an Address on Temperance 

Delivered Before the Washington Society at 
Springfield, 111., February 22, 1842. 

"And what a noble ally this to the cause of 
political freedom ; with such an aid its march 
cannot fail to be on and on, till every son of 
earth shall drink in rich fruition the sorrow- 
quenching draughts of perfect liberty. Happy 
day when — all appetites controlled, all poisons 
subdued, all matter subjected — mind, all-con- 
quering mind, shall live and move, the monarch 
of the world. Glorious consummation ! Hail, 
fall of fury! Reign of reason, all hail! 

And when the victory shall be complete — 
when there shall be neither a slave nor a drunk- 
ard on the earth — how proud the title of that 
land which may truly claim to be the birthplace 
and the cradle of both those revolutions that 
shall have ended in that victory. How nobly 
distinguished that people who shall have 
planted and nurtured to maturity both the 
political and moral freedom of their species." 



55 



"To secure to each laborer the whole product 
af his labor, or as nearly as possible, is a 
worthy object of any good government." 



56 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

Protective Tariff 

From Notes Written About December 1, 1847. 
"In the early days of our race the Almighty 
said to the first of our race, "In the sweat of 
thy face shalt thou eat bread ;" and since then, 
if we except the light and the air of heaven, 
no good thing has been or can be enjoyed by 
us without having first cost labor. And inas- 
much as most good things are produced by 
labor, it follows that all such things of right 
belong to those whose labor has produced 
them. But it has so happened, in all ages of 
the world, that some have labored, and others 
have without labor enjoyed a large proportion 
of the fruits. This is wrong, and should not 
continue. To secure to each laborer the whole 
product of his labor, or as nearly as possible, 
is a worthy object of any good government/' 



57 



"He desired the prosperity of his country- 
men ... to show to the world that free 
men could be prosperous." 



58 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

Eulogy of Henry Clay 

Delivered July 16, 1852, in the State House at 
Springfield, Illinois. 

"Mr. Clay's predominant sentiment, from 
first to last, was a deep devotion to the cause 
of human liberty — a strong sympathy with the 
oppressed everywhere, and an ardent wish for 
their elevation. With him this was a primary 
and all-controlling passion. Subsidiary to this 
was the conduct of his whole life. He loved 
his country partly because it was his own coun- 
try, and mostly because it was a free country ; 
and he burned with a zeal for its advancement, 
prosperity, and glory, because he saw in such 
the advancement, prosperity, and glory of hu- 
man liberty, human right, and human nature. 
He desired the prosperity of his countrymen, 
partly because they were his countrymen, but 
chiefly to show to the world that free men 
could be prosperous." 



59 



"We proposed to give all a chance ; and we 
expected the weak to grow stronger, the 
ignorant wiser, and all better and happier to- 
gether." 



60 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 
On Equal Rights of Men 

From Notes Jotted Down About July, 1854. 

"So plain that no one, high or low, ever does 
mistake it, except in a plainly selfish way ; for 
although volume upon volume is written to 
prove slavery a very good thing, we never 
hear of the man who wishes to take the good 
of it by being a slave himself. 

"Most governments have been based, prac- 
tically, on the denial of the equal rights of 
men, as I have, in part, stated them ; ours be- 
gan by affirming those rights. They said, some 
men are too ignorant and vicious to share in 
government. Possibly so, said we; and. by 
your system, you would always keep them 
ignorant and vicious. We proposed to give all 
a chance ; and we expected the weak to grow 
stronger, the ignorant wiser, and all better and 
happier together." 



61 



'"Let us revere the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence ... let us keep step to the music 
of the Union." 



62 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

The Famous "Lost Speech" 

Delivered May 29, 1856, at the Republican 
State Convention at Bloomington. 

(So called because the entire audience be- 
came so interested that even the reporters 
failed to take notes.) 

"The Union is undergoing a fearful strain : 
but it is a stout old ship, and has weathered 
many a hard blow, and the "stars in their 
courses,'' aye, an invisible power, greater than 
the puny efforts of men, will fight for us. But 
we ourselves must not decline the burden of 
responsibility, nor take counsel of unworthy 
passions. Whatever duty urges us to do or 
to omit, must be done or omitted ; and the 
recklessness with which our adversaries break 
the laws, or counsel their violation, should 
afford no example for us. Therefore, let us 
revere the Declaration of Independence ; let 
us continue to obey the Constitution and the 
laws ; let us keep step to the music of the 
Union. Let us draw a cordon, so to speak, 
around the slave states and the hateful in- 
stitution, like a reptile poisoning itself, will 
perish by its own infamy." 

63 



"The human heart is with us ; God is with 

us." 



64 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 
On Equality of Men 

From Speech Delivered in Chicago, December 
10, 1856. 

"Can we not come together for the future? 
Let every one who really believes, and is re- 
solved, that free society is not and shall not 
be a failure, and who can conscientiously de- 
clare that in the past contest he has done only 
what he thought best — let every such one have 
charity to believe that every other one can 
say as much. Thus let bygones be bygones ; 
let past differences as nothing be; and with 
steady eye on the real issue, let us reinaugurate 
the good" old 'central ideas' of the republic. We 
can do it. The human heart is with us ; God 
is with us. We shall again be able not to de- 
clare that 'all States as States are equal/ nor 
yet that 'all citizens as citizens are equal/ but 
to renew the broader, better declaration, in- 
cluding both these and much more, that 'all 
men are created equal.' " 



65 



'A house divided against itself cannot stand." 



66 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

Accepting the Nomination as United 
States Senator 

Springfield, 111., June 16, 1858. 

"In my opinion, it will not cease until a 
crisis shall have been reached and passed. 'A 
house divided against itself cannot stand/ I 
believe this government cannot endure per- 
manently half slave and half free. I do not 
expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not 
expect the house to fall — but I do expect it 
will cease to be divided. It will become all 
one thing, or all the other. Either the op- 
ponents of slavery will arrest the further 
spread of it, and place it where the public mind 
shall rest in the belief that it is in the course 
of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will 
push it forward till it shall become alike law- 
ful in all the States, old as well as new, North 
as well as South." 



67 



"The Declaration . . . will link those 
patriotic hearts as long as the love of freedom 
exists." 



68 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 
Equal Freedom 

From Speech at Chicago, 111., July 10, 1858. 

"If they look back through this history to 
trace their connection with those days by 
blood, they find they have none; they cannot 
carry themselves back into that glorious epoch 
and make themselves feel that they are part 
of us; but when they look through that old 
Declaration of Independence, they find that 
those old men say that 'We hold these truths 
to be self-evident, that all men are created 
equal/ and then they feel that that moral sen- 
timent taught in that day evidences their rela- 
tion to those men, that it is the father of all 
moral principle in them, and that they have 
a right to claim it as though they were blood 
of the blood, and flesh of the flesh, of the 
men who wrote that Declaration, and so they 
are. That is the electric cord in that Declara- 
tion that links the hearts of patriotic and 
liberty-loving men together, that will link 
those patriotic hearts as long as the love of 
freedom exists in the minds of men through- 
out the world." 



69 



"Without the assistance of that Divine Being 
... I cannot succeed. With that assist- 
ance I cannot fail." 



70 



EXTRACTS from- SPEECHES and LETTERS 

On Leaving Home 

From Farewell Speech to Springfield Neigh- 
bors When Leaving for Washington 
to Take Up the Presidency, 
February 11, 1861. 

"My Friends : No one, not in my situation, 
can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this 
parting. To this place, and the kindness of 
these people, I owe everything... Here I have 
lived a quarter of a century, and have passed 
from a young to an old man. Here my chil- 
dren have been born, and one is buried. I 
now leave, not knowing when or whether ever 
I may return, with a task before me greater 
than that which rested upon Washington. 
Without the assistance of that Divine Being 
who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. 
With that assistance, I cannot fail. Trusting 
in Him who can go with me, and remain with 
you, and be everywhere for good, let us con- 
fidently hope that all will yet be well. To 
His care commending you, as I hope in your 
prayers you will commend me, I bid you an 
affectionate farewell." 



71 



"I am in favor of cutting up the wild lands 
into parcels, so that every poor man can have 
a home." 



72 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

On Immigration 

From Speech Delivered at Cincinnati, 
February 12, 1861. 

"Mr. Chairman, I hold that while man exists 
it is his duty to improve not only his own 
condition, but to assist in ameliorating man- 
kind ; and therefore, without entering upon the 
details of the question, I will simply say that 
I am for those means which will give the great- 
est good to the greatest number. 

In regard to the homestead law, I have to 
say that in so far as the government lands can 
be disposed of, I am in favor of cutting up the 
wild lands into parcels, so that every poor 
man may have a home. 

Inasmuch as our country is extensive and 
new, and the countries of Europe are densely 
populated, if there are any abroad who desire 
to make this the land of their adoption, it is 
not in my heart to throw aught in their way 
to prevent them from coming to the United 
States." 



73 



"The Union, the Constitution and the liber- 
ties of the people shall be perpetuated." 



74 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

The Liberty of Our Forefathers 

From Address at Trenton, N. J., 
February 21, 1861. 

"I am exceedingly anxious that that thing — 
that something even more than national in- 
dependence; that something that held out a 
great promise to all the people of the world 
to all time to come — I am exceedingly anxious 
that this Union, the Constitution, and the 
liberties of the people shall be perpetuated in 
accordance with the original idea for which 
that struggle was made, and I shall be most 
happy indeed if I shall be a humble instrument 
in the hands of the Almighty, and of this, his 
almost chosen people, for perpetuating the ob- 
ject of that great struggle." 



75 



"The Declaration of Independence . . . 
gave promise that all should have an equal 
chance." 



76 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From Address Delivered in Independence 
Hall, Philadelphia, February 22, 1861 

"I am filled with deep emotion at finding 
myself standing in this place, where were col- 
lected together the wisdom, the patriotism, the 
devotion to principle from which sprang the 
institutions under which we live. 

"I have pondered over the toils that were 
endured by the officers and soldiers of the army 
who achieved that independence. I have often 
inquired of myself what great principle or 
idea it was that kept this Confederacy so long 
together. It was not the mere matter of 
separation of the colonies from the mother- 
land, but that sentiment in the Declaration of 
Independence which gave liberty not alone to 
the people of this country, but hope to all the 
world, for all future time. It was that which 
gave promise that in due time the weights 
would be lifted from the shoulders of all men, 
and that all should have an equal chance. 
This is the sentiment embodied in the Declara- 
tion of Independence. Now, my friends, can 
this country be saved on that basis?" 



77 



"We shall number . . . five hundred 
millions of happy and prosperous people." 



78 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

On the Admittance of Kansas to the 
Union 

Address on Raising the New Flag Over Inde- 
pendence Hall, Philadelphia, 
February 22, 1861. 

"Cultivating the spirit that animated our 
fathers, who gave renown and celebrity to this 
hall, cherishing that fraternal feeling which 
has so long characterized us as a nation, ex- 
cluding passion, ill temper, and precipitate 
action on all occasions, I think we may promise 
ourselves that not only the new star placed 
upon that flag shall be permitted to remain 
there to our permanent prosperity for years to 
come, but additional ones shall from time to 
time be placed there until we shall number, 
as it was anticipated by the great historian, 
five hundred millions of happy and prosperous 
people/' 



79 



"The mystic chords of memory . . . will 
yet swell the chorus of the Union when again 
touched by the better angels of our nature." 



80 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From Inaugural Address 

Washington, D. C, March 4, 1861. 

"In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow- 
countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous 
issue of civil war. The government will not 
assail you. You can have no conflict with- 
out being yourselves the aggressors. You have 
no oath registered in heaven to destroy the 
government, while I shall have the most 
solemn one to 'preserve, protect and de- 
fend it/ 

"I am loath to close. We are not enemies, 
but friends. We must not be enemies. Though 
passion may have strained, it must not break 
our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of 
memory, stretching from every battle-field and 
patriot grave to every living heart and hearth- 
stone all over this broad land, will yet swell 
the chorus of the Union w T hen again touched, 
as surely they will be, by better angels of our 
nature/' 



81 



"Ballots are the rightful and peaceful suc- 
cessors of bullets." 



8-2 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From Message to Congress, July 4, 1861 

"Our popular government has often been , 
called an experiment. Two points in it our 
people have already settled — the successful 
establishing and the successful administering 
of it. One still remains — its successful 
maintenance against a formidable internal at- 
tempt to overthrow it. It is now for them to 
demonstrate to the world that those who can 
fairly carry an election can also suppress a 
rebellion; that ballots are the rightful and 
peaceful successors of bullets ; and that when 
ballots have fairly and constitutionally de- 
cided, there can be no successful appeal back 
to bullets; that there can be no successful ap- 
peal, except to ballots themselves, at succeed- 
ing elections. Such will be a great lesson of 
peace ; teaching men that what they cannot 
take by an election, neither can they take it 
by war; teaching all the folly of being the be- 
ginners of a war." 



83 



"It is peculiarly fit for us . . . to humble 
ourselves before him and to pray for his 
mercy." 



84 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From Thanksgiving Proclamation 
August 12, 1861 

"And whereas when our own beloved coun- 
try once, by the blessing of God, united, pros- 
perous, and happy, is now afflicted with faction 
and civil war, it is peculiarly fit for us to 
recognize the hand of God in this terrible 
visitation and in sorrowful remembrance of our 
own faults and crimes as a nation and as in- 
dividuals, to humble ourselves before him and 
to pray for his mercy — to pray that we may 
be spared further punishment, though most 
justly deserved; that our arms may be blessed 
and made effectual for the re-establishment of 
law, order, and peace throughout the wide ex- 
tent of our country; and that the inestimable 
boon of civil and religious liberty, earned 
under his guidance and blessing by the labors 
and sufferings of our fathers, may be restored 
in all its original excellence." 



85 



"Statute laws should be made as plain and 
intelligible as possible. " 



86 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From Annual Message to Congress, 
December 3, 1861 

"It seems to me very important that the 
statute laws should be made as plain and in- 
telligible as possible, and be reduced to as 
small a compass as may consist with the ful- 
ness and precision of the will of the legisla- 
ture and perspicuity of its language. This, 
well done, would, I think, greatly facilitate the 
labors of those whose duty it is to assist in 
the administration of the laws, and would be a 
lasting benefit to the people by placing before 
them, in a more accessible and intelligible 
form, the laws which so deeply concern their 
interests and their duties. 

Labor is prior to, and independent of, 
capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, 
and could never have existed if labor had not 
first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, 
and deserves much the higher consideration." 



87 



"Implore spiritual consolation in behalf of all 
who have been brought into affliction/' 






EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From Proclamation of Thanksgiving for 
Victories, April 10, 1862 

"It is therefore recommended to the people 
of the United States that, at their next weekly 
assemblages in their accustomed places of pub- 
lic worship which shall occur after notice of 
this proclamation shall have been received, they 
especially acknowledge and render thanks to 
our Heavenly Father for these inestimable 
blessings; that they then and there implore 
spiritual consolation in behalf o'f all who have 
been brought into affliction by the casualities 
and calamities of sedition and civil war; and 
that they reverently invoke the divine guidance 
for our national counsels, to the end that they 
may speedily result in the restoration of peace, 
harmony, and unity throughout our borders, 
and hasten the establishment of fraternal rela- 
tions among all the countries of the earth." 



89 



"That portion of the earth's surface which is 
. inhabited by the people of the United 
States is well adapted to be the home of one 
national family." 



90 



EXTRACTS from- SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From Annual Message Delivered Before 
Congress December 1, 1862 

"A nation may be said to consist of its terri- 
tory, its people, and its laws. The territory is 
the only part which is of certain durability. 
'One generation passeth away, and another 
generation cometh, but the earth abideth for- 
ever.' It is of the first importance to duly 
consider and estimate this ever-enduring part. 
That portion of the earth's surface which is 
owned and inhabited by the people of the 
United States is well adapted to be the home 
of one national family, and it is not well 
adapted for two or more. Its vast extent and 
its variety of climate and productions are of 
advantage in this age for one people, whatever 
they might have been in former ages. Steam, 
telegraphs, and intelligence have brought these 
to be an advantageous combination for one 
united people." 



91 



"All persons held as slaves . . . shall 
be free." 



92 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

Emancipation Proclamation, 
January 1, 1863 

"That on the first day of January, in the 
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred 
and sixty-three all persons held as slaves with- 
in any State, or designated part of a State, 
the people whereof shall then be in rebellion 
against the United States, shall be then, thence- 
forward, and forever free; and the Executive 
Government of the United States, including 
the military and naval authority thereof, will 
recognize and maintain the freedom of such 
persons, and will do no act or acts to repress 
such persons, or any of them in any efforts they 
may make for their actual freedom." 



93 



"Accept my best wishes for the welfare and 
happiness of the whole British people." 



94 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From Letter to Workingmen of England, 
February 2, 1863 

"The resources, advantages, and powers of 
the American people are very great, and they 
have consequently succeeded to equally great 
responsibilities. It seems to have devolved 
upon them to test whether a government estab- 
lished on the principles of human freedom can 
be maintained against an effort to build one 
upon the exclusive foundation of human bond- 
age. They will rejoice with me in the new 
evidences which your proceedings furnish that 
the magnanimity they are exhibiting is justly 
estimated by the true friends of freedom and 
humanity in foreign countries. 

"Accept my best wishes for your individual 
welfare, and for the welfare and happiness of 
the whole British people." 



95 



"Let us then rest humbly in the hope . . . 
that the united cry of the nation will be heard 
on high." 



96 



EXTRACTS from- SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From Proclamation for a National Day 
of Fasting, March 30, 1863 

"Now, therefore, in compliance with the re- 
quest, and fully concurring in the views, of the 
Senate, I do by this, my proclamation, desig- 
nate and set apart Thursday, the 30th day of 
April, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, 
fasting and prayer. And I do hereby request 
all the people to abstain on that day from their 
ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite at their 
several places of public worship and their re- 
spective homes in keeping the day holy to the 
Lord t and devoted to the humble discharge 
of the religious duties proper to that solemn 
occasion. All this being done in sincerity and 
truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope 
authorized by the divine teachings, that the 
united cry of the nation will be heard on high, 
and answered with blessings no less than the 
pardon of our national sins, and the restora- 
tion of our now divided and suffering country 
to its former happy condition of unity and 
peace." 



97 



"It is meet and right to recognize . . . 
the power of his hand equally in these triumphs 
and in these sorrows/ 1 ' 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From Proclamation for Thanksgiving, 
July 15, 1863 

"It has pleased Almighty God to hearken 
to the supplications and prayers of an afflicted 
people, and to vouchsafe to the army and 
navy of the United States victories on land 
and on the sea so signal and so effective as 
to furnish reasonable grounds for augmented 
confidence that the union of these States will 
be maintained, their Constitution preserved, 
and their peace and prosperity permanently 
restored. But these victories have been ac- 
corded not without sacrifices of life, limb, 
health, and liberty, incurred by brave, loyal, 
and patriotic citizens. Domestic affliction in 
every part of the country follows in the train 
of these fearful bereavements. It is meet and 
right to recognize and confess the presence of 
the Almighty Father, and the power of his 
hand equally in these triumphs and in these 
sorrows/' 



99 



"The government of the people, by the peo- 
ple, for the people, shall not perish from the 

earth " 



100 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

At the Dedication of Gettysburg 
Cemetery 

From Speech Delivered November 19, 1863. 

"The brave men, living and dead, who 
struggled here, have consecrated it far above 
our poor power to add or detract. The world 
will little note nor long remember what we 
say here, but it can never forget what they 
did here. It is for us, the living, rather, to be 
dedicated here to the unfinished work which 
they who fought here have thus far nobly ad- 
vanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated 
to the great task remaining before us — that 
from these honored dead we take increased 
devotion to that cause for which they gave 
the last full measure of devotion ; that we here 
highly resolve that these dead shall not have 
died in vain; that this nation under God, shall 
have a new birth of freedom ; and that govern- 
ment of the people, by the people, for the 
people, shall not perish from the earth/' 



101 



"Honor to him who braves, for the common 
good, the storms of heaven and the storms of 
battle/' 



102 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From Letter to Cooper Institute, 
December 2, 1863 

"Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere 
who bravely bears his country's cause. Honor 
also to the citizen who cares for his brother in 
the field, and serves, as he best can, the same 
cause — honor to him, only less than to him 
who braves, for the common good, the storms 
of heaven and the storms of battle." 



103 



"To the army and navy . . . the world 
must stand indebted for the home of freedom 
disenthralled . . . and perpetuated." 



104 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From Annual Message Delivered Before 
Congress, December 8, 1863 

"In the midst of other cares, however im- 
portant, we must not lose sight of the fact 
that the war power is still our main reliance. 
To that power alone can w r e look, yet for a 
time, to give confidence to the people in the 
contested regions that the insurgent power 
will not again overrun them. Until that con- 
fidence shall be established, little can be done 
anywhere for what is called reconstruction. 
Hence our chiefest care must still be directed 
to the army and navy, who have thus far 
borne their harder part so nobly and well. 
And it may be esteemed fortunate that in giv- 
ing the greatest efficiency to these indispensable 
arms, we do also honorably recognize the 
gallant men, from commander to sentinel, who 
compose them, and to whom, more than to 
others, the world must stand indebted for the 
home of freedom disenthralled, regenerated, 
enlarged, and perpetuated. " 



105 



"A full pardon . . . with restoration of 
all rights." 



106 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From Proclamation of Amnesty, 
December 8, 1863 

"I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United 
States, do proclaim, declare, and make known 
to all persons who have, directly or by implica- 
tion, participated in the existing rebellion, ex- 
cept as hereinafter excepted, that a full pardon 
is hereby granted to them and each of them, 
with restoration of all rights of property, ex- 
cept as to slaves, and in property cases where 
rights of third parties shall have intervened, 
and upon the condition that every such person 
shall take and subscribe an oath, and thence- 
forward keep and maintain said oath inviolate ; 
and which oath shall be registered for perma- 
nent preservation, and shall be of the tenor 
and effect following, to-wit :" 



"They have demonstrated in blood their right 
to the ballot." 



108 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From Letter to General Wadsworth, 
February, 1864 

"How to better the condition of the colored 
race has long been a study which has at- 
tracted my serious and careful attention ; hence 
I think I am clear and decided as to what 
course I shall pursue in the premises, regard- 
ing it as a religious duty, as the nation's guard- 
ian of these people who have so heroically 
vindicated their manhood on the battle-field, 
where, in assisting to save the life of the Re- 
public, they have demonstrated in blood their 
right to the ballot, which is but the humane 
protection of the flag they have so fearlessly 
defended." 



109 



"If all that has been said by orators and 
poets since the creation of the world in praise 
of women were applied to the women of 
America, it would not do them justice/' 



110 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From Remarks on American Women 

Delivered at a "Sanitary Fair" in Washington, 
March 1§, 1864. 

"In this extraordinary war. extraordinary 
developments have manifested themselves, 
such as have not been seen in former wars ; 
and amongst these manifestations nothing has 
been more remarkable than these fairs for the 
relief of suffering soldiers and their families. 
And the chief agents in these fairs are the 
women of America. 

"I am not accustomed to the use of language 
of eulogy; I have never studied the art of 
paying compliments to women : but I must 
say, that if all that has been said by orators 
and poets since the creation of the world in 
praise of women were applied to the women 
of America, it would not do them justice for 
their conduct during this war. I will close by 
saying, God bless the women of America." 



Ill 



"That some should be rich shows that 
others may become rich, and hence is just en- 
couragement to industry and enterprise." 



112 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From Speech Delivered to a Committee of 

Workingmen's Association of New 

York, March 21, 1864 

"The strongest bond of human sympathy, 
outside of the family relation, should be one 
uniting all working people, of all nations, and 
tongues, and kindreds. Nor should this lead 
to a war upon property, or the owners of 
property. Property is the fruit of labor; prop- 
erty is desirable ; is a positive good in the 
world. That some should be rich shows that 
others may become rich, and hence is just en- 
couragement to industry and enterprise. Let 
not him who is houseless pull down the house 
of another, but let him work diligently and 
build one for himself, thus by example assur- 
ing that his own shall be safe from violence 
when built/' 



113 



"Gold is good in its place, but living, brave, 
patriotic men are better than gold." 



114 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From Remarks Made In Response to a 

Serenade of Citizens, November 10, 

1864, When His Re-election 

Was Assured 

"It has demonstrated that a people's gov- 
ernment can sustain a national election in the 
midst of a great civil war. Until now, it has 
not been known to the world that this was a 
possibility. It shows, also/ how sound and 
how strong we still are. It shows that, even 
among candidates of the same party, he who is 
most devoted to the Union and most opposed 
to treason can receive most of the people's 
votes. It shows, also, to the extent not yet 
knowm, that we have more men now than we 
had when the war began. Gold is good in its 
place, but living, brave, patriotic men are better 
than gold." 



115 



"Unanimity of action ... is almost in- 
dispensable." 



116 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From Annual Message to Congress, 
December 6, 1864 

"In a great national crisis like ours, una- 
nimity of action among those seeking a common 
end is very desirable — almost indispensable. 
And yet no approach to such unanimity is at- 
tainable unless some deference shall be paid 
to the will of the majority, simply because it 
is the will of the majority. In this case the 
common end is the maintenance of the Union, 
and among the means to secure that end, such 
will, through the election, is most clearly de- 
clared in favor of such constitutional amend- 
ment/" 



117 



"With firm reliance on the strength of our 
free government, the loyalty of the people and 
with unshaken faith in the Supreme Ruler/' 



118 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

Speech Made to Electoral College Accept- 
ing the Office of President, 
February 9, 1865 

"With deep gratitude to my countrymen for 
this mark of their confidence; with a distrust 
of my own ability to perform the duty re- 
quired under the most favorable circumstances, 
and now rendered doubly difficult by existing 
national perils ; yet with a firm reliance on the 
strength of our free government, and the 
eventual loyalty of the people to the just prin- 
ciples upon which it is founded, and above all 
with an unshaken faith in the Supreme Ruler 
of Nations, I accept this trust. Be pleased to 
signify this to the respective Houses of Con- 
gress." 



119 



"With malice toward none; with charity 
for all." 



120 



EXTRACTS from SPEECHES and LETTERS 

From Second Inaugural Address, Wash- 
ington, D. C, March 4, 1865 

"Yet, if God wills that it continue until all 
the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hun- 
dred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall 
be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn 
with the lash shall be paid by another drawn 
with the sword, as was said three thousand 
years ago, so still it must be said, 'The judg- 
ments of the Lord are true and righteous alto- 
gether/ 

"With malice toward none; with charity for 
all ; with firmness in the right, as God gives us 
to see the right, let us strive on to finish the 
work we are in; to bind up the nation's 
wounds ; to care for him who shall have borne 
the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan 
— to do all which may achieve and cherish a 
just and lasting peace among ourselves, and 
with all nations/' 



121 



The last words written by Abraham Lincoln 
just before leaving for Ford's Theatre, April 
14, 1865: 



GEORGE ASHMUN 
Washington, D. C., April 14, 1865. 

"Allow Mr. Ashmun and his friends to come 
in at 9 a. m. tomorrow." 

A. LINCOLN. 



122 



Though great, he was ever 
humble; powerful in his 
own might, he was the pro- 
tector of the down-trodden, 
devout in his thought, just 
in his deeds, sincere in his 
every achievement — 
such was 

ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



INDEX 

Page 

His Parents 13 

His Birthplace 15 

His Early Youth 17 

His Youth 19 

His Early Manhood 21 

Business Ventures 23 

Soldier, Postmaster, Legislator 25 

Lawyer 27 

Congressman 29 

His Family 31 

President . . ., 33 

His Cabinet 35 

Secession 37 

War .;............ 39 

Emancipation Proclamation ." 41 

Peace 43 

Death 45 

In Memoriam 47 



SPEECHES, LETTERS, ETC. 



INDEX— Continued 

Page 

Improvement of the Sangamon River '. 51 

Equal Suffrage 53 

Temperance 55 

Protective Tariff 57 

Eulogy of Henry Clay 59 

Equal Rights to Men 61 

"The Lost Speech" 63 

Equality of Men 65 

Accepting Nomination for Senator 67 

Equal Freedom 69 

Farewell Speech to Neighbors 71 

Immigration 73 

The Liberty of Our Forefathers 75 

Address at Independence Hall 77 

Admittance of Kansas to the Union 79 

Inaugural Address, 1861 81 

Message to Congress, July 4, 1861 S3 

Thanksgiving Proclamation 85 

Annual Message to Congress, 1861 87 



SPEECHES, LETTERS, ETC. 



INDEX— Continued 

Page 

Proclamation of Thanksgiving for Victories 89 

Annual Message, 1862 91 

Emancipation Proclamation 93 

Letter to Workingmen of England 95 

Proclamation for National Day of Fasting 97 

Proclamation for Thanksgiving, July 15, 1863 99 

Dedication of Gettysburg Cemetery 101 

Letter to Cooper Institute 103 

Annual Message, 1863 105 

Proclamation of Amnesty 107 

Letter to General Wadsworth 109 

Remarks on American Women Ill 

Speech to a Committee of Workingmen '. 113 

Remarks Made In Response to a Serenade of 

Citizens . ........ 115 

Annual Message to Congress, 1864 117 

Speech Made to Electoral College, 1865 119 

Second Inaugural Address 121 

Last Words Written by Lincoln 122 

Tribute by Author 123 



